Good Questions: Where Can I Find a Desk for the Two of Us?

10.23desk.jpg Hello AT,

My husband and I are looking to combine our work spaces in our small 1-bedroom rental, and are looking for a desk space that would accommodate two work stations comfortably (about 7 ft across, similar to the setup in the picture)...

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Any affordable but stylish solutions? We're not the most handy people, but we could probably manage very light DYI without killing or maiming ourselves. (Maybe.) Thank you in advance for great ideas. AT ROCKS!

Thanks! sfbbqueen

Related Links:

• AT desk resources
• AT's Stores guide to locating desks
• The Container Store (Check out Elfa Shelving).

Comments (15)

As posted by Laura, look in the IKEA kitchen section for countertops- not just the office section. We used 2 solid butcher block kitchen countertops and then added 8 legs. This does have the disadvantage of a seam and legs in the middle, but I'm sure you could get longer sections.

i would suggest hollow core doors, painted with end brackets/ or saw horses, if you need something on the cheap.

I've seen stainless steel restaurant suppy tables in 6 and 8 feet. Very cool.

I have to recommend the IKEA Galant series as well. You can customize the pieces to your space quite easily and the design is simple and clean lined.

My boyfriend and I had this same problem. We ended up going to IKEA and purchasing a gray Numerar kitchen countertop and adding a couple of legs to it. I don't remember the name of it but it has an upside-down T-shape which we put on each end. If you ask an IKEA staff for help, they'll tell you exactly what you need (some frames of some sort) and how to do it. It cost us less than $200 and we love it!

My husband and I finally combined our workspaces... we use a hollowcore door.... and used a basic collapsable leg so it could be used as a craft table later.
If you plan on staying there for awhile, using braces on the side of the wall would eliminate the need for legs all together, giving you the largest amount of leg room, or floor storage area.
It didn't cost much and has been great.

I was worried about them being able to hold enough weight.... scanners... two monitors...printer... router and phone gear.... exc.... it hasn't had a problem in the slightest.
part of me wants to do two doors next time with 2x4's in the middle as dividers to give me an "in desk" cubby hole to slide bills and such.

Are you blessed with a large bedroom. If so, float the bed, put a drape from the ceiling across the back that extends past the bed on both sides and then put a long work table behind the drape. On either side of the bed in front of the drape you can put your nightstands.

gosh, i hope you have easy access to ikea, 'cause i'm about to add another ikea-based idea to the pile:
how about the malm occasional table or the malm dressing table? you could attach two keyboard trays to the bottom of the occasional table, if you use desktops, or count on the felt-lined drawer of the dressing table for storing small desktop clutter. both options are simple, inexpensive, and parsons-like.

head down to your local recycled building materials shop. you'll probably find an abundance of thing you can use for at top - old counters, doors, big random slabs of wood, etc. then go and spend a little money on getting two or three (might need a middle support) file cabinets like this one

http://www.westelm.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?partNumber=WE-PRODf300&storeId=17001&langId=-1&catalogId=17002&viewSetCode=E&parentId=WE-SH1FRNFIL&retainNav=true&cmsrc=WE-SH1FRNFIL

use those as support on either ends and in the middle and BAM you have a desk.

I also read a NYT article about a guy who went down to a company somewhere in brooklyn that makes stainless steel counters for restaurants and got one made to his specifications on the cheap.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/27/garden/27tiny.html?pagewanted=1&8dpc&_r=2

I echo the door sentiment. Most architects I work with have this setup and it is quite simple and effective use of space. Also they are easy to setup at an angle if so uhhh inclined.....

...I know don't remind me I said it...

MASH Studios makes a wall mounted desk similar to the one pictured.

http://www.designpublic.com/shop/mash-studios/6797

Alternatively, if you wanted to enclose your workspace, you could probably transform 2 40" pax wardrobe units into desk armoires. At the end of the day, you could just close the doors on the desk clutter.

OK. We just did the same thing, and we're loving it. If you have tools and space, I suggest the following:

Buy a 4X8 sheet of nice plywood (should set you back $50 or so). Cut it to the depth you want, leaving the length at 8' or what you can accomodate. Use a router to round the front and side edges of the 'desktop'. Coat with 3-4 layers of polyurethane.

Go buy enough 3/4" diameter galvanized pipe sections (threaded) to screw together a base. You'll need to make H-shaped sections, not just legs, and we actually have multiple intersecting H's (use the T-shaped connectors) for front/back and lateral stability. You also want to have enough support so that the plywood doesn't sag. We have enough space for 2 workpsaces and a file cabinet in between, with the wood basically resting on 4 sets of legs.

Sorry, this is hard to explain in writing. Maybe this photo will help. (We just moved in, so forgive the non-decorated environs. I mean literally, just moved in.) We also used some leftover plywood to make a little shelf along the top:

http://picasaweb.google.com/noisytoys1/Sharing/photo#5124721944568289090

Hi~ 2 years ago we did that ikea hack: kitchen countertop and legs. http://sol.pupazzo.org/?p=162
the first picture is how we used to work, and the second is how it came out. It was great!!! Very cybercafe-ish.